FAQ¶

About Xol¶

What is Xol?¶

A desktop launcher and an in-game client for Minecraft: Java Edition 1.8.9 and 1.7.10. The launcher installs the game from Mojang, signs you in through Microsoft in your own browser, and keeps your game files in their own folder. The client adds a HUD you arrange yourself, a settings menu and a new look for the game's menus. It does not change movement, combat or reach. See Home.

Can I download it?¶

Not publicly. Xol is in closed development and builds are invite-only. Write to contact@xol.dev with your operating system to ask for a tester slot. A public release will be announced on launcher.xol.dev.

Can I play right now?¶

Not with a Microsoft account yet. Microsoft sign-in is built but waiting for Mojang to approve Xol's application ID, and the launcher does not start the game without a signed-in account. Testers can install, configure and check everything up to that point. See Sign-in and accounts.

Do I need to own Minecraft?¶

Yes. Xol signs you in with the Microsoft account that owns Minecraft: Java Edition and checks the entitlement before it launches anything. It does not include, redistribute or unlock the game. All game files are downloaded from Mojang's own servers to your computer. There is no offline or cracked mode.

Is Xol affiliated with Mojang or Microsoft?¶

No. Xol is an independent project. It is not an official Minecraft product and is not approved by or associated with Mojang or Microsoft.

Which versions and systems are supported?¶

Minecraft 1.8.9 and 1.7.10. Windows 10 and 11 x64, macOS 12 or later on Apple Silicon and Intel. No Linux build. Xol has been lightly tested on an Apple Silicon Mac, not yet on Windows or an Intel Mac, and nothing has passed acceptance testing on real hardware yet. See Supported versions.

Will there be newer Minecraft versions?¶

A modern profile built on Fabric is planned for after the legacy versions. See the roadmap.

What does it cost?¶

No price has been announced. The terms grant a license for personal, non-commercial play.

Installing¶

Why does macOS or Windows warn me about the installer?¶

The development builds are not signed with an Apple Developer ID or a Windows code-signing certificate. macOS asks once (how to approve it), and Windows shows SmartScreen (More info, then Run anyway). Only run an installer you received from the Xol project.

Do I need to install Java?¶

No. Xol downloads the Java runtime Mojang ships for each version. On an Apple Silicon Mac it downloads a native Java 8 from Azul by default instead. You can use your own Java in place of either. See Launch options.

Does it work on Apple Silicon?¶

Yes, in light testing. The launcher is a native arm64 app. Mojang publishes no arm64 Java for Minecraft 1.8.9 and 1.7.10, so Xol downloads a native Apple Silicon Java 8 from Azul, with Mojang's Intel Java through Rosetta 2 as the automatic fallback and a setting to choose. See Apple Silicon.

Is Minecraft faster with the native Apple Silicon Java?¶

Starting the game was 3.4 to 4.2 times faster in the only measurements there are, on an automated build machine with an Apple M1 processor and no graphics card. No frame-rate gain has been shown, so Xol does not claim one. You can measure both runtimes on your own Mac with the same tool the project uses: Compare the two yourself.

My frame rate is low on an Apple Silicon Mac. What can I try?¶

Check which Java runtime the game used, check that Max Framerate is Unlimited and VSync is off, then compare Intel (Rosetta 2) with Apple Silicon (arm64) in the same world and keep the faster one. The steps are on Troubleshooting.

Does Xol touch my existing .minecraft folder?¶

Xol keeps its game files in its own data folder, with an instance per Minecraft version. The one exception is resource packs: by default every instance uses the resourcepacks folder of your normal Minecraft folder, so your packs show up in both. You can switch that off in Settings ▸ Instance. See Instances.

What happens to my worlds when I uninstall?¶

They stay. Uninstalling removes the program and keeps the data folder with every instance. See Reset and uninstall.

Sign-in and privacy¶

Can Xol see my Microsoft password?¶

No. You type it into Microsoft's page in your own browser. Xol only ever receives tokens that Microsoft issues for the two scopes it asks for, XboxLive.signin and offline_access, and they stay on your device: encrypted by the operating system on Windows, and on current macOS builds in a file only your user account can open. See Sign-in and accounts.

What does Xol send to its own servers?¶

The launcher checks for updates, profile data and notices, sending its version, operating system and CPU architecture. While Show me as online to the Xol team is on (the default), it also tells the Xol service once a minute your Minecraft name, your Xol version, your operating system, the selected profile and Minecraft version, and whether you are playing. You can switch that off in Settings ▸ Service. Crash reports are off until you turn them on, and are redacted before they leave your computer. Your Microsoft and Minecraft tokens are never sent to Xol. See Privacy and data.

What happened to the access key?¶

Xol 0.3.1 has no access key setting. Installing, playing, updates and crash reports all work without one.

Does the in-game client phone home?¶

The client makes no network connections of its own. For the Discord status, it writes what you are playing to a small file in the instance, which the launcher reads.

Playing¶

Is Xol allowed on public servers?¶

Xol reports its own name to servers, but every server sets its own rules and some do not allow any modified client. Read the rules of the server you play on. Xol does not claim to be approved by any server. See Multiplayer and fair play.

Is Xol a cheat client? Is it "undetectable"?¶

No, and no. Xol does not change movement, combat, reach or interaction timing, and it does not hide from servers or anti-cheat. It sends the client brand Xol. The review of every module is on Multiplayer and fair play.

Does it work with OptiFine?¶

It is an add-on on both versions. Xol cannot download or include OptiFine, because OptiFine's license does not allow redistribution. You download the jar from optifine.net once. Xol picks up the finished download, checks it and keeps its own copy, and from then on that Minecraft version starts with it while the OptiFine add-on is on. On 1.7.10 the add-on is off by default, and while it is on, Xol's performance mods are set aside. A launch with a real OptiFine file has not been verified yet. See OptiFine.

Does Xol read my Downloads folder?¶

Only while the Add OptiFine dialog is open, and then only to spot a finished OptiFine_<version>_HD_U_….jar. No other file is opened, a download is copied and never moved or deleted, and nothing about the folder is sent anywhere. See what Xol looks at.

Does Xol make the game faster?¶

No claim is made. That includes the native Apple Silicon Java: a faster start was measured on a build machine, a higher frame rate was not. Xol 1.7.10 ships a fixed set of third-party performance mods whose effect has not been measured. The performance presets are ordinary video settings. See Performance presets.

Can I add my own mods?¶

Yes. Put them into your mods folder (Open folder ▸ Mods on the main screen) and switch the Forge mods add-on on for that version. Xol never deletes or changes your jars, and with the add-on off they stay where they are and are not loaded. See Profiles.

How do I open the settings in game?¶

Right Shift in a world, Xol settings on the title screen, or the small Xol button on the pause menu. See The client.

The menus look different. How do I get the vanilla menus back?¶

The title screen, the server list, the pause menu and the connect screens are drawn in Xol's look, with fireflies or snow behind them. Open the Xol settings, expand Menu theme and switch Themed menus off. The next menu you open is the standard Minecraft one. Background animation ▸ Off keeps the look without the particles. Your server list is the game's own and is the same either way. See Menu theme.

Can I move my HUD settings to another computer?¶

Yes. Your client settings are already shared between the instances on one computer. To move them to another, Export in the client's settings writes xol/xol-settings.json in the instance folder. Copy it into the xol folder of an instance on the other computer and Import there. The file contains module switches, settings and layouts, and no account, server or path data. See Layouts, export and import.

Updates¶

How does Xol update?¶

By itself. It downloads in the background, verifies the download against a signed release record, and installs when you close Xol. There is no switch to turn this off. See Updates.

Why does macOS not ask again for updates?¶

Because Xol downloads the update itself, the file carries no quarantine mark, and Gatekeeper only assesses quarantined files. Nothing is bypassed. The update is verified against a signed record, and the new app's identifier, version and code signature are checked before the swap. See Updates.

Can I go back to the previous version?¶

The previous verified installer is kept in the updates folder, so you can run it by hand. See Rollback installers.

Getting help¶

Where do I report a problem or a security issue?¶

contact@xol.dev. Attach a support log if the game was involved. Security reports are answered first.